1941O GAUGE MODEL DIE CAST
available for separate sale at $12.50, which put it in the Marx 027 ³/₁₆″ die- cast Pacific territory. In 1952, the boil- er,
now plastic, underwent many
changes in manufacture and what was to have been incorporated in it–or not: headlight,
Pull-Mor, Choo-Choo, 1957 PLASTIC S GAUGE
In 1941 American Flyer offered an O gauge diecast model of the Reading P-7sa Atlantic (top). By 1957 a plastic version of the Reading Atlantic with molded on details was being sold as an entry level engine (above). Mantua came out with this pre-war HO model in 1941 (below).
generics then offered by Lionel. When this writer first saw a postwar S gauge version in the late 1940’s, it seemed like a chubby little child with its wide Wooten firebox, but then what would he have known about that? Flyer’s first 1941 P-7sa with Choo-
Choo, was simplified in some of its boil- er detailing, with basic rods, no valve gear but Laird crossheads like Alexan- der’s. Outside frames were omitted on the trailing truck to keep costs low, but it had applied wire railings, metal whistle and bell, and an illuminated headlight. Die-casting was crisp, and
MANTUA 1941-1942
considering it was an inexpensive toy, was quite handsome on its own terms. At that time, Flyer didn’t offer its ready-to-run ³/₁₆″ scale locomotives for separate sale, except as kits for the larger, more complex PRR K-5 Pacific, NYC Hudson and UP Northern. It was, ideal for the do-it-yourself craftsman- hobbyist. Prewar cast engines returned in 1946 with re-gauged motors for nar- rower ⁷/₈″ S gauge track. By 1950, the die-cast Reading without smoke or Choo-Choo–expensive features re- served for top Flyer locomotives–was
smoke, whistle, no reverse and manual two- or four-position reverse units. Hand railings were molded on, and later, the bell and whistle were inte- grally molded on some versions as well. The reader can easily discern the differences between cast and plastic interpretations. In 1957, a plastic Reading 303 Atlantic seen here, was $23.00 with smoke, Choo-Choo and headlight, almost double the 1950 die- cast model. It remained a bottom-of- the-line loco until it was bumped up- stairs by more cheaply made toy locomotives. In 1961 a 4-4-0 Casey Jones and quasi- F-9 diesel entered the range in an attempt to save the fi- nancially troubled company. Entry level trains were a manufac-
turer’s toe in the door in hope of stimu- lating further sales to expand them with more track, locomotives, cars and accessories. The Big Three: American Flyer, Lionel and Marx made low cost models,
with the difference being American Flyer offered a reasonable miniature of an actual locomotive pro- totype, the humble Reading P-7sa At- lantic. This particular Atlantic has received
short shrift in the scale model market outside of Alexander’s and the Mantua, perhaps not perceived as interesting or famous as the PRR’s E-6, Santa Fe’s popular 1480 Class, or glamorous Mil- waukee Hiawatha. American Flyer’s excursion with it had more variations and combinations than perhaps any other steam-based prototype in the tin- plate hobby. Long live the chubby Reading P-7sa, in all its multitudinous incarnations.
RAILROAD MODEL CRAFTSMAN 91
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